Sermon Tone Analysis

Wednesday January 31, 2007

Genesis: Genesis 42:7-17-Joseph’s Brothers’ First Audience with Him

Lesson # 273

Please turn in your Bibles to Genesis 42:1.

This evening we will continue with our study of Genesis 42, which presents to us the account of Joseph’s brothers with the exception of Benjamin making their first journey to Egypt to buy grain.

On Sunday morning we studied Genesis 42:1-5, which presents to us the record of Jacob sending his sons to Egypt to buy grain in order to deal with the problem of the famine in Canaan.

Genesis 41:53-57 records for us that there was not only a famine in Egypt but also in the countries surrounding Egypt and the entire earth, thus Canaan where Jacob’s family lived was a victim of famine.

Last evening we studied Genesis 42:6, which records the fulfillment of the prophecy recorded in Genesis 37:5-11 that was revealed in Joseph’s dream that he would rule over his entire family.

This evening we will study Genesis 42:7-17, which records for us Joseph’s brothers’ first audience with him in Egypt.

Genesis 42:1, “Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, ‘Why are you staring at one another?’”

Genesis 42:2, “He said, ‘Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down there and buy some for us from that place, so that we may live and not die.’”

Genesis 42:3, “Then ten brothers of Joseph went down to buy grain from Egypt.”

Genesis 42:4, “But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, ‘I am afraid that harm may befall him.’”

Genesis 42:5, “So the sons of Israel came to buy grain among those who were coming, for the famine was in the land of Canaan also.”

Genesis 42:6, “Now Joseph was the ruler over the land; he was the one who sold to all the people of the land.

And Joseph's brothers came and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.”

Genesis 42:7, “When Joseph saw his brothers he recognized them, but he disguised himself to them and spoke to them harshly.

And he said to them, ‘Where have you come from?’

And they said, ‘From the land of Canaan, to buy food.’”

Genesis 42:8, “But Joseph had recognized his brothers, although they did not recognize him.”

Joseph was 39 years of age at this point in the narrative when his brothers bowed down to him in fulfillment of his prophetic dreams and had spent 22 years in Egypt.

He recognized his brothers but his brothers did not recognize him because he had been Egyptianized as we saw in Genesis 41.

It would have been easy for Joseph to recognize his brothers since the sons of Leah would have been full grown men when he last saw them when he was 17.

Egyptians were clean shaven for hygienic reasons while most Asiatics usually wore beards and so Joseph was clean shaven and his brothers were not.

Joseph’s Egyptian name was “Zaphenath-paneah,” which means, “God has spoken and he (Pharaoh and Egypt) shall live.”

The new name symbolized Joseph’s new identity and new, fresh start in life in Egyptian society and validates his new position as prime minister of Egypt.

Furthermore, Joseph’s brothers did not recognize him because he spoke Egyptian and not Hebrew when addressing them.

Also, he spoke harshly to his brothers as an Egyptian would do to Hebrew shepherds, which further disguised him.

Therefore, Joseph’s brothers saw an Egyptian ruler with the Egyptian name who spoke Egyptian who spoke harshly as an Egyptian would do to a Hebrew and so they did not recognize him.

Joseph chooses to disguise himself since he remembered full well how his brothers resented him for his long sleeved multicolored coat and how they attempted to murder him and then sold him into slavery as a result of communicating his two prophetic dreams to them.

People who attempt to murder their brother and then sell him into slavery cannot be trusted and so Joseph disguises himself.

Joseph could not be sure how they would act now that his prophetic dreams were fulfilled when they bowed down to him.

Also, he must have wondered to himself how much more jealous they would be if they saw him in his position as prime minister with a gold chain around his neck and Pharaoh’s signet ring on his finger.

He knew if they were still jealous he could not have fellowship with them and they might not accept his help and so he kept these things in mind when he addressed his brothers.

Joseph did not seek revenge upon his brothers and had no anger or resentment towards his brothers as demonstrated by the names he gave his sons.

His desire was to bring his brothers to repentance in the matter of himself and to reunite with his family as later events would demonstrate.

However, he knew if they were still jealous and resentful that he could have no fellowship with them.

Therefore, he decided to test them to be sure he could have fellowship with them.

Egyptians were known to be suspicious of foreigners so Joseph proceeded to talk to his brothers as they expected Egyptians to talk to them since Egyptians disliked Hebrew shepherds and would not even eat with them.

In fact, the ancient Egyptians considered all who entered at the northeastern boundary of their country as potential enemies and of course Joseph’s brothers came from Canaan and would have to proceed through this boundary.

Therefore, when Joseph speaks harshly to his brothers, it is not because he is bitter towards them or is seeking revenge or is paying them back for what they did to him but rather it is his attempt to determine if his brothers had changed over the years so that a reunion with them could be possible.

Joseph disguised himself to his brothers until it could be determined if their character had changed and had been transformed by God just as his character had been transformed by God through circumstances.

Joseph’s brothers attempt to disarm suspicion by giving more information than was asked for in that not only do they state where they came from but also their purpose as well.

Therefore, Joseph’s brothers were in effect saying politely that they were in Egypt to buy grain just like everyone else because of the famine.

In Genesis 42:8, the statement that Joseph recognized his brothers is a repetition of the same statement in Genesis 42:7.

In Genesis 42:7, Joseph’s recognition follows his brothers bowing down to him.

The repetition in Genesis 42:8 just prior to Joseph’s recollection of his two prophetic dreams syntactically links the statement “he remembered” in Genesis 42:9 with the statement “they bowed down to him” in Genesis 42:6.

Genesis 42:9, “Joseph remembered the dreams which he had about them, and said to them, ‘You are spies; you have come to look at the undefended parts of our land.’”

The statement “Joseph remembered the dreams, which he had about them” refers to his two prophetic dreams he had when he was seventeen years of age that predicted he would rule over his family and that are recorded in Genesis 37:5-11.

The sight of his brothers prostrating themselves before him suddenly reminds Joseph that his two prophetic dreams have been fulfilled right before his eyes.

However, it also reminds Joseph of the hatred his brothers as a result of telling them his dreams and their attempt to murder him and then selling him into slavery.

Joseph had forgotten his adversities with regards to his father’s household but he now remembers his dreams.

Joseph not only realized the fulfillment of his dreams but also the reason for them.

He saw that God had a purpose for placing him in his position of power, and this purpose was for him to function as the family head, protecting and preserving his family.

He had great power and prestige, but God had given these to him for a purpose much greater than merely to seek revenge.

He saw that leadership involved power, but that it also brought upon him the weight of responsibility.

At times the greatest need is not to be aware of the power at our disposal, but of the purpose for which this power has been given.

So at this point in the narrative, Joseph is having conflicting emotions.

His sense of contentment is shaken by the unpleasant memories of his brothers selling him into slavery.

He is desperate for news about his father and only full brother Benjamin back in Canaan.

However, he feels he needs to find out conclusively whether or not his brothers regret their actions in the past towards him and have been transformed by God just as he had been.

Also, remember, Benjamin is not with his brothers, which would arouse suspicion in Joseph as to whether or not they had acted violently towards Benjamin as they did him.

Therefore, he decides to embark upon a series of tests to determine if his brothers could be trusted.

Joseph assumes the role of a tough professional interrogator in order to determine if his full brother Benjamin and his father are still alive.

Though outwardly he speaks harshly with his brothers, inwardly Joseph has great affection for them, which is demonstrated by his actions later on in Genesis 45 when he reveals his identity to his brothers.

Syntactically, Genesis 42:9 links Joseph’s accusations with his remembering of his two prophetic dreams and so he now acts according to the first dream of all eleven bowing down to him by strategizing to get Benjamin to join them.

Therefore, in order to test his brothers’ character and to worm out of them the confession that they have a brother and without revealing his true identity, Joseph accuses his brothers of being spies, which would be a crime worthy of death in Egypt.

Like God, Joseph knew that in order to properly analyze a person’s character the most important elements are made visible when the test of adversity is applied and so Joseph applies the pressure to his brothers to determine their true character.

The accusation of espionage would “not” seem unusual to Joseph’s brothers (See Exodus 1:9-10; cf. 2 Samuel 3:25; 10:3) since frontier guards at Egypt’s Asian border routinely checked travelers to discover spies who might indicate an imminent attack.

Armies in need of food often sought out any weaknesses in the fortifications in order to plunder stockpiled grain, which is signified by the phrase “the undefended parts of our land.”

Therefore, the accusation of espionage provided Joseph with a convenient pretext under which he could have the brothers arrested and detained and subjected to more interrogation.

Genesis 42:10, “Then they said to him, ‘No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food.’”

Genesis 42:11, “We are all sons of one man; we are honest men, your servants are not spies.”

Joseph’s brothers respond to his accusation of espionage with four short sentences in apposition, which climax with an emphatic rebuttal of Joseph’s charge.

The phrase “your servants” is used twice by the brothers and is deferential language since he is the prime minister of Egypt and is both good Egyptian and Hebrew etiquette.

Their first statement reiterates their statement in Genesis 42:7 that they have come to buy food because of the famine, which is a true statement.

Their second statement “we are all sons of one man” would refute the charge of espionage since no father would dare jeopardize the lives of all his sons by having them involved in such a dangerous occupation.

They are in effect saying that it is absolutely improbable that ten brothers would be traveling together as a group in order to spy on a nation, rather if they were spying, they would have at least split up.

Their third statement “we are honest men” will be tested further by Joseph but up to this point in their audience with Joseph, it is a true statement.

The last statement “we are not spies” reiterates and emphasizes their previous rebuttal of the charge of spying.

Genesis 42:12, “Yet he said to them, ‘No, but you have come to look at the undefended parts of our land!’”

Joseph hammers home the accusation of espionage in order to get information out of them regarding their father and Benjamin.

He repeats the accusation four times in order to break down their resistance (See Genesis 42:12, 14, 15, 20).

Joseph should not be accused of sin by making these false accusations and lying since such tactics are a necessary part of counteracting spying.

For example, Rahab was commended for lying in connection with espionage when she hid the Israelite spies.

Genesis 42:13, “But they said, ‘Your servants are twelve brothers in all, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is with our father today, and one is no longer alive.’”

Joseph’s brothers’ initial rebuttal to the charge of espionage “we are all sons of one man” is so compelling that they repeat it and even provide more details.

The brothers believe that by giving Joseph more details that this would make their rebuttal more believable and in fact, it gave Joseph exactly the information he was looking for.

The statement “Your servants are twelve brothers in all” is of course a true statement and provides the exact number of sons for Joseph.

The statement “sons of one man” implies that not all of them have the same mother.

The prepositional phrase “in the land of Canaan” again reiterates their statement to Joseph in Genesis 42:7 of where they live and is necessary since as Hebrews they would have not worn the attire of the Canaanites.

The statement “the youngest is with our father today” is exactly what Joseph wanted to hear since it is a reference to his only full brother, Benjamin.

Joseph will use this statement as a pretext for pursuing further the accusation of espionage since he could say that since their father knew that espionage was a dangerous endeavor he kept one son behind with him in Canaan in order to guarantee the family’s future if the brothers were caught and executed.

The statement “one is no longer alive” is a reference of course to Joseph and expresses his brothers’ belief that he is dead since they actually presumed that since they have heard nothing about Joseph for over twenty years that he must have died in slavery.

In Genesis 44:20, Judah confirms this belief that the brothers thought Joseph to have died.

Genesis 42:14-15, “Joseph said to them, ‘It is as I said to you, you are spies, by this you will be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here!’”

In response to his brothers’ statement that “the youngest is with our father today” Joseph hammers home the espionage accusation in order that he might verify their statement that they are honest men and that Benjamin is in fact alive and has not been killed by his brothers.

Based upon the past actions of his brothers in attempting to kill him and selling him into slavery, Joseph seeks to test the veracity of their statement by demanding that they produce Benjamin and bring him into his presence.

Therefore, in order to confirm that Benjamin is alive, Joseph’s brothers are presumed guilty of espionage until they can prove their innocence and so the burden of disproof is on the brothers.

Genesis 42:16, “Send one of you that he may get your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you.”